Dust cap and the like



Patented Mar. 9, 1926.

UNITED stares PATENT oF 1 cl=.:."

EDWARD E. HOLT, or cHIcAeo, ILLINOIS, nssrenon To EDWARD HOLT Co, or

CHICAGO, ILLI1 \TOIS, A CORPOBATIQN'JQF ILLINOIS.

DUST GAP AND THE LIKE.

Application filed August 16, 1924. .Serial No. 732,552.

To all whom it may; concern: 7 7

Be it known that I, EDWARD E. Houiya citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Dust Caps and the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has to do with improvements in dust caps for the valves of pneumatic tires. The invention has to do with an improved dust cap for protecting the portion of the valve stem which projects outside of the wheel felloe. r

, One of the objects ofthe invention is to provide a dust cap of such. form and construction that it can be easily slipped into position, or withdrawn from the valve stem by the user, butwhich nevertheless will effectively hold its place on the. valve stem during all normal service.

Another object in connection with the above is to provide a dust cap of such construction that it can be slipped directly over the ,valve stem without having to be threaded thereon. ,This will make it possible to insert and remove the dust cap expeditiously and easily. v c v Another feature of the invention relates to the provision of a locking nutfor holding the projecting portion of the valve'stem securely in place, which nut may also serve as a base into which the dust cap itself is nserted; This nut is also so constructed as 00 effectively :prevent the entrance of foreign material into the felloe hole through which the valve stem passes.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved form of spring-clip for engaging the dustcap itself to hold the same securely in place. I

Otherobjects andusesof the invention ,will appear from a detailed description of the same, .which consists in the features of construction and combinations ofv parts here inafter described andclaimed 1 In the-drawing;

Figure 1 showsa vertical fragmentary tion through the lower portion of the dust cap, showing it appliedto a valve stem Fig.2 shows a vertical fragmentary section through the lower portion of another form of the dust cap showing it applied to a valve stem; it Fig. 3 shows a horizontal section on the line 33 ofiFig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; I f

Fig. 4 shows a bottom view of the nut taken on the line 4C-4E of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; the leather washer being removed;

Fig. Sshows a fragme ntary section on the line5-5 of Fig. 4, looking in thedirection ofthe arrows, buton enlarged scale; i; i

;Fig. 6 shows, a perspective view" of the springclipyalso on enlargeduscale as com pared with the other figures;- and Fig. 7 shows a perspective viewzof the sections of the sectionalized nut.

-Referring first. toFig. 1,- the wheel felloe is designated by the'numeral 7. The valve stein8 is shown as reaching through the hole 9 of the felloe. V J

Onto; the projecting or outside portion of the valve stem I thread a base member, designated in its entirety by the numeral 12. The same includes anut 13 having a threaded collar 14 whichthreads onto the pro-. jecting portion of the valve stem. This nut memberyl3 also has theoutstanding flange 15 and, the upstanding circular collar 16 which is of larger size than the valvestem, The body member l2also includes a shell 17 having an upstanding circular flange 18 of inner diameter the same as that of the collar 16, so that when the parts are set together they establish a continuous inside cylindrical surface. The member 17 also has adownwardly depending flange 19 of .proper size to closely engage the flange 15 and preferably, project somewhat below the same so as vtoestablish t downwardly-facing recess for the accommodation of a asher 20.

I This washer is preferably of leatheror similar material, so that upon threadingthe body member securely down along the valve stem the collar 14: will operate to draw the valve stem through the felloe opening 9 until the nut 11 is drawn solidly against the inner surface of the felloe. The washer 20 will at the same time elfectively serve to prevent the entrance of dust or other foreign matter into the hole 9.

The flange 15 and the companion flange 19 are preferably of non-circular form such as hexagonal, as clearly indicated in Figs. 3 and 1. As a result they together provide a convenient nut to which may be applied a wrench for tightening up the-partsin the manner just explained.

The presence of the upstanding collar'16 establishes an annular space 21 Within the body member 12. Within this space I place a spring clip 22 of the general form of Figs. 3 and 6. The same has in its central portion an inwardly reaching lug 23, preferably formed by stamping the same out from the metal of the spring itself, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. This lug 23 reaches through an opening in the collar 16 and. projects slightly beyond the inner surface of said collar. The ends 24. and 25 of the spring clip are preferably turned backi'vards, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to seat into two of the corners of the hexagonally shaped flange 19, as shown in Fig. 3. The spring action of the clip normally holds its body member firmly against the collar '16, so as to insure the aforesaid inward projection of the lug 23, but the central portion of the clipcan yield 'backwardly upon occasion.

I provide a cap member 26 preferably of cylindrical form, its upper portion 27 being larger in diameter than its lowerneck 28. This lower neck is of proper size to slip nicely into the cylindrical passage established by the flange 18' and collar 16 when the cap member is set into place over the valve stem.

The lower end of the neck 28 is provided with one or more recesses 29' at the proper distance from its lower edge to receive the lug 23 in locking fashion, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, when the cap member is set into place and turned to the proper position. I

By providing a number of therecesses at different points around the circle, the cap member will be locked without having to turn it through more than a rel'ativelysmall amountof rotation,

In order to hold the members 13 and 17 securely together after the spring clip has been 'setinto place, the lower edge of the flange 19 maybe upset at one or more points, as indicated at 30 in Figs. 4 and 5. This will establish the inwardly projecting prongs clearly indicated in Fig. 5, to hold the parts together;

If desired, the nut member 13 may be made of two companion sections 31. and 32, as shown in Figs. 1 and 7. These may be stamped out of sheet metal, and when set together they provide a complete nut member of the same form as that shown in Fig. 2 in particular. The section 31 has the downwardly projecting ears 33 which set into the companion recesses 3 1 of the section 32, and may then be clinched under so as to lock the sections together. 1

\Vhile I have herein shown and described only a single embodiment of the features of my present invention, still I do not intend to limit myself to the same, except as I may do so in the claims.

I claim: 1

1. A dust cap comprising a base member and a cylindrical cap member, the base member including a nut member having a horizontal flange, a depending internally threaded collar of proper size to thread onto the valve stem, and an upstanding collar of larger size, and the base member also including a shell having a-dependingflange of proper size to receive the horizontal flange of the nut member and having an upstanding flange of internal bore the same size as the upstanding collar of the nut member, there being a through opening in the up standing collar of the nut member and a corresponding recess in the neck portion of the cap member, and a spring element in conjunction with the base member and working through the opening of the upstanding collar, substantially as described.

2. A dust cap comprising a base member and a cylindrical cap member, the base member including a shell having a depending flange, and also including a nut element comprising companion sections each having a central jcircular collar and an outwardly reaching flange at one end, both of the flanges being of non-circular peripheral form and of the same size and shape and adapted to seat within the depending flange of the shell aforesaid, the circular collar of the upper nut section being of proper size to receive the cylindrical cap member and the central collar of the other nut section being of' smaller size and internally threaded to receive the. valve stem, one of the nut flanges having in its periphery a number of spaced notches andthe other nut flange having in its periphery lugs to register with said notches, whereby when the two nut sections are set together with their flanges in contact the lugs may be entered into and clinched within the notches aforesaid to cuase the two sections to provide a unitary nut member, substantiallyas described.

3, A dust cap comprising a base'member and a cylindrical cap member, the'base member including a shell havinga depending flange, andv also including a nut element the upper nut section being of proper size '00 comprising companion sections each having receive the cylindrical cap member and the 10 a central circular collar and an outwardly central collar of the other nut section being reaching flange at one end, both of the of smaller size and internally threaded to re- 5 flanges being of non-circular peripheral Lceive the valve stem, together With means form and of the same size and shape and for securing the two sections rigidly toadapted to seat Within the depending flange gether, substantially as described. of the shell aforesaid, the circular collar of EDWARD E. HOLT. 

